|
 Wilson completed 18-of-27 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown,
and ran eight times for 50 yards, while the Seahawks defense
manhandled Giants quarterback Eli Manning with five interceptions to
turn the home crowd into boo birds.
Seattle (12-2) hopes Sunday's triumph will be the first of two happy
dates for the Seahawks at the Meadowlands, where the Super Bowl will
be held on February 2 in the first outdoor, cold weather site for
the big game.
"It's hard not to think of it when you are 12-2," wide receiver
Golden Tate told reporters. "It's tough not to think about it."
Said Wilson: "I think the biggest thing that we can learn from
playing here and getting a win is we'll just have a great feel for
the stadium. We've been here before, we were successful here. That's
a positive thing.
"You get good vibes when you come back."
The win moved the Seahawks, who have already claimed a berth in the
postseason, another step closer to clinching the NFC West title and
securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Seattle has
won 14 straight games before their noisy home fans.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll praised his defense for giving up only
181 yards to the Giants, and his quarterback, whose knack for
winning has resulted in 23 wins over his first two seasons.
"I think it's worth noting that Russell has won more games as a
quarterback in his first two years than anybody in history," said
Carroll. "He's so special, he's such a tremendous competitor and
such a unique individual."
Tate said Wilson's ability to scramble and throw on the run made it
fun for the receivers.
[to top of second column] |
"When they (pass rushers) do get there, he rolls out of the
pocket and that just means more room for us to get open. And
then it kind of turns into backyard football," Tate said. "You
just got to find a way to get open."
A snowstorm hit the area on Saturday, a possible foreshadow of
the February Super Bowl, but the Meadowlands was spared with
only a light coating, although areas to the north within a
half-hour's drive got more than half a foot (15 cms).
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, however, gave a chilly assessment of
his team's showing against one of the NFL's powers.
"It was a pathetic offensive performance," said Coughlin, whose
top receiver, Victor Cruz, was sidelined in the third quarter
with a concussion and a strained knee just two yards short of
reaching the 1,000-yard mark receiving for a third year in a
row.
"We're not taking anything away from their defense, they're
number one in the league for a good reason. But we can't turn
the ball over like that."
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said he knew Manning was in trouble
from the start against the Seattle defense.
"You can easily tell when you're in a rhythm, when everybody is
in a rhythm, and I felt like we were in a rhythm from snap one,"
said Thomas, who had one of the Seattle picks. Byron Maxwell and
Richard Sherman had two interceptions each.
(Reporting by Larry Fine; editing by Gene Cherry)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
